The First Family Reunion
by ObsidianWing
Summary: In which we find Light facing the biggest challenge in his life... his family. Will they accept L and the boys into their circle? Or will Light have to choose to stay with the family he was born into... or the one he chose to be apart of?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I Kinda missed writing about L and Light and the younger versions of the three little terrors, so I started this story. I also really wanted another family reunion thing to go with this series, but I missed the boat until now. :)**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoy! **_

_**(And yes, I'll be continuing the other stories soon!)**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

With the little ball of white fluff fast asleep in his bed, Mello and Matt following suit, I was able to sneak out and return to my room right away. The three were heavy sleepers, and Mello hadn't had a nightmare in months. I'd even gotten Matt to stop playing video games way past his bedtime so the red head was sleeping soundlessly in bed more often than not. The only person I had trouble getting into bed anymore…

…was L.

Not that the man didn't sleep at all, but I'd prefer it if he didn't stay up for days on end working on some case that could be left for later. The detective barely spent any time out of his room anyway, and the only time we'd been together alone was that small vacation we took before the boys were kidnapped. The security on my boys was heightened due to this, but I couldn't help how overprotective I was of them.

I loved my boys.

I strode through the dark halls of the Wammy house, passing one or two adults as they checked on the rooms to make sure kids were in their beds. I liked how peaceful the place was at night. No screaming children, no busying adults scrambling to get work done, and no whining and complaining from a certain blonde because I didn't let him have chocolate.

I sighed, muttering to myself, "Mello is a handful."

L had spoiled the three rotten before I came into the picture. Matt had all the video games he could play, Mello had mountains of chocolate on demand, and even Near was given any gadget or toy he wished. The moment I took a stand at this did the whining begin, but it didn't last long since I offered a moderation with their little obsessions. Mello got his chocolate once every few days, Matt was allowed an hour of video games each day, and Near could still cuddle with his plushies… just not all of them in his bed.

I had a strange family… but I loved them.

Near was intelligent and sweet, always looking to cuddle up to me when he was lonely or bored. He was like a little plushie himself with how cute and cuddly he could be some days. Of course it was because he was seven and small in stature so it wouldn't last forever, but I enjoyed it while I could.

Matt was also a very sweet young man, always hugging me and telling me he loved me… when he wasn't playing video games. He never fought me or made excuses with me, and I was more than impressed with his honesty towards me. He was a stand up young man, and I greatly appreciated this fact about him.

Mello was… err… as I said, a handful. He gave me the most trouble out of the three, always whining about something, always getting himself into bad situations, and always running to me to help him out of a jam. For someone as smart as him, he was quite dependent on others to get him out of trouble. Other than that though, he fought for what was correct and just, and he never deliberately hurt someone out of anger. The only time he'd ever hurt someone was when he'd bitten me in his sleep due to a nightmare… and he still didn't forgive himself for it.

I quietly stepped into the room I shared with L and found the detective in his chair and hunched over his laptop. Once again he'd be working on a case throughout the night and not getting any sleep. Not only that but he'd be waking me up with his maddeningly loud tapping of his keyboard. It's like he was unaware that I slept at all in the same room as him.

I sighed heavily to myself. "Can't you put the laptop away for the night, Ryuzaki? I have to get up early tomorrow to take the boys to the doctor's office."

"They're alright, Light." He reasoned. "There's nothing wrong with them. I don't know why you insist on taking them to a doctor anyway."

I scoffed at this. "Because Mello is having throat infections left, right, and center, Matt has been complaining of his ankle hurting ever since he fell out of that tree yesterday, and Near has been getting headaches that I can't solve."

"Tonsils need to some out, Matt broke his ankle, Near is faking it." The man answered. "Problem solved. Now might I get back to work?"

I swift knock to the head got the man to look away from his screen and up at me.

I felt my nostrils flare. "You're not funny, and I demand you put the laptop away for tonight."

A small smirk appeared on his face. "Alright, but I demand a price. I _am_ giving up some work time you know."

I grumbled, my eyes rolling. "Not tonight, but I promise you that tomorrow I'm all yours."

"Were you anyone else I would not believe your word on this, but seeing as how you're in as much need of it as I am…"

"Then again I could just go to a hotel and forget this deal altogether." I interrupted.

With L knowing my threats were never half-assed, he quickly shut his mouth before saving his documents and closing his laptop.

"There, happy?" He asked begrudgingly.

I hummed, giving him a small peck to the temple. "Very much so."

As I began to get ready for bed, laying out my pajamas and such, the detective reminded me of a certain email I got from my father just the other day.

"So have you confirmed or denied his request?"

I thought about it for a moment before turning to him.

"L, the family on my father's side is… well… not very understanding of our relationship. Of course I want to see them all again, but I just know there's going to be repercussions if I introduce you and the boys to them. My father's side of the family is harsh and if we were to go to this reunion it would only end in anger regret."

"But Light, it's been so long since you've seen them last. If it worries you that much then leave us behind and go see them for yourself. We won't hate you for that if we know you don't want us getting hurt in the process."

I suddenly hugged the man close to me, him still in his chair. "You're part of my family now. You and the boys. If I left you behind I'd feel awful, so don't you suggest that to me. If I were to go, I'd take you and the boys with me. I love you all, and I'd want everyone to know that while we were there."

He leaned into me slightly. "Then we should go."

Before I could argue he looked straight at me, his round and darkened eyes stopping me from speaking.

"We love you too, Light. And if you love us as much as we do with you, then it shouldn't matter what they say about us or what happens while we're there. Your father loves the boys, your mother and sister are more than welcoming of us, so it wouldn't matter what anyone else says. We're still a family… however odd we look."

I stared at him for a good minute before sighing heavily and turning away to crawl into bed. L didn't even make to change into anything to sleep in and merely crawled in beside me. I had to admit though, the man made a good point before.

No matter how odd our family was, or how harrowing it was to take care of them all, we still loved each other. Near, Matt, and Mello… they were my boys. L was my partner. We were stronger together than we were apart and no one from my father's side of the family could change that.

I took a breath and grinned. "I suppose we should go to the reunion to catch up with mom, dad, and Sayu. I haven't seen them since the kidnapping incident and I'm more than curious to hear what's been going on with them."

The detective smiled happily. "I knew I could change your mind."

I went in for a punch but was stopped by a small knocking at the bedroom door.

Getting up and out of bed to see who it was, I opened the door to see a small blonde standing there with tears in his eyes. I knew exactly what was wrong.

I kneeled down and pulled him into a hug. "Nightmare?"

He shook slightly, his breath shallow and raspy. "Bad one."

Mello was eleven now, close to twelve, but he was plagued with so many nightmares and night terrors it scared him to death. The poor child was suffering with the real world and the dream world all at once. It just wasn't fair.

I kissed the top of his head lovingly. "Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen and we'll get you something to soothe your nerves."

He sniffled. "Hot chocolate?"

I grinned slightly at his rather small yet adorable voice. The only time he was ever truly himself, was when it came to his fears and those he loved most.

I gave one last squeeze to the hug and nodded. "With milk and marshmallows. It should help with your throat infection too."

He backed away smiling. "Thank you, Light."

I merely grinned before guiding him out the door and down the hall.

Yes, Mello was a handful… but he was a sweetheart at the very core of his being. All of my boys were. And if my family wouldn't see it when they met them, then it was their loss.

My family was perfect the way it was.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Feels good to be writing again! Thank you all for waiting patiently for me! (I will be updating another chapter to another story as well, I promise!)**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

"So what did your father tell your grandmother? Last time I met her you'd just come out of the closet about our relationship in front of her, so I'd suspect he made up something to make sure she felt alright with seeing you again."

The brunette rolled his eyes at me for the third time that day. "And what makes you think he's said anything?"

I blinked. "We both know he said something."

The man relaxed in his seat a bit more and grumbled slightly. "He told her I was sent to study abroad."

"What did you learn from her?" Came Matt's reply.

It took only a second before the joke fully got to me and I had to turn away to hide my smile. The red head could be such a witty little brat some days that it almost made me proud to call him one of my successors.

Light only grinned a tiny bit but kept his eyes narrowed. "Refrain from using that sharp tongue of yours, Matt. My family isn't all that fun."

The red head only smiled cheekily. "Yes Light, whatever you say."

The call for our plane came and we immediately grabbed our bags to leave the terminal, Light keeping a close eye on the three boys to make sure they followed us. Knowing them, I didn't blame him for being over-cautious.

It would be an eleven hour plane ride to Japan from England, but with my private jet things would be more comfortable. I normally ever used it for cases that I had to travel to from Wammys, but I'd held off on any cases until after this little reunion of Light's was over. We'd be there for maybe a week or so and head back right away. I wasn't keen on having to meet with a large amount of people, but if it made Light happy… then I suppose I could endure it for a bit.

Besides, it did the boys good to get out of the orphanage and see the world.

I'd been together with Light for two and a half years now, and I'd known the boys for about five or six. Well… I'd known Matt and Mello for about five or six years. Near was still relatively new with me knowing him for about two or three years. However way you looked at it, I never thought for a moment that I'd have adopted them as my kids. I always believed they'd just end up as my successors and nothing more. But with Light getting the legal documentation to formally adopt them – behind my back no less – and getting me to sign it, they indeed became part of the family. The other children at the Wammy house were more than a little miffed to see me and Light favour over them over everyone else, but the heat died down after Light became one of the supervisors of the orphanage.

In a sense, Light was in charge of taking care of the children and watching over them, keeping things in order around the house, and helping out Wammy and Roger with the discipline and rewards to the kids whenever something arose. More times than not did he do a good job of it as well, even organising a few barbeques and celebrations for certain events. And he made absolutely sure that every child in the orphanage got to celebrate their birthday in one way or another. To keep things absolutely fair, he made sure that every child got at least three gifts from us, including Near, Matt, and Mello. Although they were our kids now, they didn't get more than the others when their own birthdays came up. All presents were set on a limit of money, and things never got out of hand this way.

Light made a huge impression on the orphanage, and I couldn't love him enough for doing so.

Finally able to get on the plane and relax into a more comfortable seat, Light almost immediately fell asleep where he sat. He'd been busy up until this day and I felt a little sorry for him because of it. Three birthdays – which he'd been prepared for – helping out a play performed by the drama children, grading tests, determining a few punishments – one or two of them being Mello's – and helping the boys cope with their injuries or illnesses. Matt didn't have a broken ankle, but it was severely sprained and he needed crutches for a while, Mello was having nightmares again –and it didn't help that the doctor gave him medicine for his throat that made him sleepy – and Near had been suffering through headaches for about two weeks now. The poor brunette was running himself ragged taking care of everything but insisted he do it all himself.

It was a good thing we were going to Japan where he could relax a bit more than beforehand.

I placed a hand on his back, trying to soothe him with a few caresses. "Go to sleep, Light. You deserve a break."

He gave a small chuckle. "Good luck waking me up. I'd probably sleep for a year with how much energy I've been using."

I grinned at this. "Then I'll just have to wake you with a kiss, oh Princess."

He gave me a small look up and down before looking away with a grin. "I doubt you're a prince Charming, but I'll have to see now won't I."

"Cold, Light. Very cold."

The pilot instructed us to clip on our seatbelts and no sooner afterwards were we moving from the runway. After about fifteen minutes were we able to move freely about the plane and the questions from the boys began. With Light being unconscious for the moment, it was up to me to tell them what was going on.

"So what's happening exactly?" Matt started. "Why are we headed to Japan this time?"

"For a family reunion, remember?" Mello answered.

"I know _that_, but why? I thought Light said we embarrassed him or something."

I interject at this. "Light is not embarrassed by us… he's embarrassed by _them_. I don't blame him either."

"Why?" Near piped in. "They're his family, aren't they?"

"Well… yes, but you have to understand that his father's side of the family is not that welcoming to the idea of homosexuality, or the idea of adoption and gay marriage. He just doesn't want you three in the middle of something so personal."

"So then why are we here?" Mello asked. "Shouldn't he have left us at home?"

"Don't you want to see Nan and Sofu again?" I asked back.

"Of course! But if Light's afraid for us…"

"Mello," I interrupted, "Light wants us to be part of his family, and to be part of a family you have to make sacrifices once or twice. Light gave up his home, his friends and family, and everything he knew back in Japan to live with us in England. Don't you think it's only fair we do the same for him every now and again? Despite what his family may think about us, he still chose us over them and he wants us to be part of his family as much as we want him to be part of _our_ family. Yes, there will be a few times while we're there that may be more than what even I can bear, but if Light's happy then it should make us happy.

"Are we clear?"

The three of them nodded silently, their eyes to the floor.

I never really gave them as many life lessons as Light did, but I made sure to at least make a point of one or two lessons to be learned. I'm not sure if many of them got through their thick skulls, but they seemed to understand what I was trying to tell them. They were reaching teen years though so those lessons would fly out the door at some point. For some reason, most teenagers believed they knew everything in life.

Well… mine technically would… but not in the life department. They'd understand it when they were older.

Matt hummed slightly, leaning on Mello's shoulder. "You think any of them would like us?"

Mello merely shrugged. "They'd like Near because he's silent, but you and I… I'm not sure. 'Ryuzaki's' going to have the worst of us though."

"And what makes you say that?" I challenged the blonde.

He scoffed. "Please, if Light had adopted us on his own, then they'd only say how proud they were of him for taking in three orphans. But saying he and his _boyfriend_ adopted three orphans basically throws up a red flag, especially if they're as bad as you say they are."

Now it was my turn to scoff. "And the moment they catch wind of your bratty and impulsive behaviour, they'll forget all about myself and react to Light taking in a 'damaged orphan'."

The small blonde stood from his seat, throwing up two fists. "You wanna go, frog-boy!?"

I merely waved him off. "I'd end you in one kick and you know it. Refrain from the fighting while we're there though. I doubt Light will favour you if you manage to hurt anyone while there."

Matt snickered at this. "I doubt Mello would actually go as far as hitting anyone. He couldn't even hit a mosquito.

The red head was happily punched in the arm by the blonde before he sat back down and turned away from him. I suppose he hit hard too because Matt practically had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling out in pain.

Near snickered a bit before grabbing his stuffed rabbit and trotting over to Light's side to nap with him.

"Deserved." He smiled out before shutting his eyes happily.

I sighed to myself. "Such a loving and caring family we have."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Sorry my chapters are short for the moment, but I hope to change that soon. Just writing for the sake of writing at he moment. :)**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

"Should we wake him up or are you gonna kiss him, prince charming?" Came the blonde's question.

My eyes rolled slightly as I shook the man awake. "Light, we're here."

"Hmm?" Came the groggy reply. "Wha… where are we?"

"Japan, Light. Remember? Family reunion, meeting with your father's family, leaving the kids in Russia…"

"YOU WHAT!" Came the angry yell from the brunette.

I had to control my snickering to keep him from hitting me. "Relax, Light, I was only joking. They're right here with us. We're landing though so buckle up."

"I swear to god I'm going to murder you!" He growled out, hitting me as hard as he could. "You cold-hearted sack of…"

"Watch it! We've got kids here!" I interrupted, letting lose a chuckle or two. "If you're going to kill me wait until there're no witnesses!"

The brunette turned to the boys, to which Mello replied for all of them, "We were asleep at the time of Ryuzaki's murder."

I flared my nostrils at him. "You traitorous brat."

Light quickly buckled his seat belt before beginning to hit me again, causing one or two bruises. I deserved it I suppose, but he didn't have to hit so hard.

When he was finally done hitting me he sat back in his chair and seethed. Near sat beside him and leaned on him to comfort the man. It only partially worked as Light just hugged him with one arm as a distraction, but I knew Light wouldn't hold a grudge for too long anyway. I knew he still loved me.

…somewhat…

The plane landed and we waited about ten minutes before unpacking and leaving the plane. Light's parents had waited patiently for us in the terminal and were ecstatic to see we'd all made it safely, happy to give us a few hugs and welcomes.

Nan happily held Near in her arms as she asked about the trip.

I tried not to snicker. "There were some… bumps on the way over."

Light growled. "Well deserved ones."

Light's father, Soichiro, sighed heavily. "You shouldn't be hurting people, son. Especially ones with connections."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I deserved the harsh treatment." I said in jest, turning to Light. "Please my dear, hit me again. It does me so much pleasure."

A short pause between us before Light turned away. "I wouldn't waste the effort."

Right as I scoffed at his lack of vitality a small fist made connection to my arm causing me to flinch and trip over a bag we'd brought with us. When I looked up from my place on the floor I saw Matt on Mello's shoulders giving a high-five to Light after the man gave him his gaming device, and Mello his chocolate.

Light smiled at me haughtily. "Well, I did say _I_ wouldn't waste the effort. I'd happily pay someone else to in the meantime."

I heard Light's mother, Sachiko, sigh as well. "And here I thought this week would be boring. Thank god you all came along."

With that, our week began.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

"Hey Mels, can you carry me on your back so I can play my game and not run into anything?" Matt suddenly asked.

"What? No, I'm not carrying you on my back so you can play a game."

The red head pouted. "Please Mels? I'd do it for you."

"That's a blatant lie." I mumbled before sighing in defeat and hunching over. "Alright, get on."

The gamer happily climbed aboard and I hooked my arms around his knees to keep him a bit more balanced. This position didn't exactly help my posture problem, but I suppose it was better than running after Matt when he walked in the wrong direction. I didn't have time to deal with his ludicrous behaviour today anyway. I'd been having the worst the feeling in my stomach since Light addressed this whole family reunion thing to us and I still said nothing about it for fear of hurting Light's feelings or something.

Matt happily turned on his game. "Love you, Mello!"

My eyes rolled as I started walking forward.

Matt had been my best friend since we were little kids and had always tried to do stuff like this for me. The thing was, he wasn't all that sneaky… or strong… or quiet… or even smart on some days. He was just… Matt. But that didn't mean he was useless. Just that he was different.

He sensed my distress right away when I didn't return his affections. "Something on your mind? Is it the nightmares?"

I shook my head. "I just have a bad feeling about this reunion." I whispered.

"You too? Man… freaky how we both think alike."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked a bit angrily.

He shrugged. "Didn't seem too important I suppose. I was just afraid of no one liking us. You?"

I hummed. "Same… I suppose. But, there's more to it than that. I mean, what if Light sees his family and he… you know… ditches us? He leaves Ryuzaki and we aren't a family anymore?"

"Come off it! Light loves us!" He reasoned. "He wouldn't give up his kids…" he paused, "would he?"

I felt my heart hammering in my chest. "What if he does? We'd be all alone and would probably be back to being just successors once again. We can't let that happen."

"Come on… this is Light we're talking about! The same guy who reads us stories before bed and takes care of us when we have fevers and nightmares! Would he seriously ditch us for some snobby family from his father's side?"

"Snobby people with money and trinkets to spare, and more than enough connections to have Light marry a movie star or model? Hell, I'd drop you guys for that."

We exited through the sliding doors.

"Speaking of dropping…" I let go of Matt and he fell to the sidewalk, "you're on your own now."

The gamer got up and huffed. "You can be so mean some days, Mel."

I merely grinned for a moment before growing serious again. "Think about it, Matt."

I turned to look at L and Light packing the bags into the car. "Light gave up a lot to be part of our family, like L told us. What's stopping him from gaining it all back and ditching us for good? We have to make sure that doesn't happen."

"I'm in!" Came a small voice from behind us.

I looked back to see the little snowflake Near looking up at us hopefully. "I overheard you guys talking… and I agree with you Mello. I know Light says he loves us, but what would stop him from leaving us after this week? We have to remind him that we're as much his family as they are, or more! I don't want to lose him… I don't want to be abandoned again!"

Matt hugged the kid close to him. "I'm in as well. I have a feeling Light might be persuaded to leave us when he sees his family, but we can't let him do that. He's our guardian… our dad. He can't leave us."

"He won't." I assured. "Not as long as we don't let him."

The man in question called us over to the car when things were set up and we hurried to his side. It wouldn't be until later that night did we come up with a plan to help us keep Light in the family.

We wouldn't lose him to these snobs… not on our watch.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: A chapter for tonight because I've been asleep all day and can't sleep tonight because of that. **_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I rolled my eyes famously at the detective. "I swear, Ryuzaki, you get weirder and weirder the more time we spend together."

"Is it so weird to revel in the past moments we had on this very bed?" He asked cheekily, sitting up to look at me. "Or is it so embarrassing to remember losing your virginity in this very room?"

I had to grin a bit at the memory. "Only when you bring it up. And it wasn't like I was completely hopeless in bed that first night. I was just nervous."

"Nervous?" He said incredulously. "Light, you were hyperventilating before we even entered the room."

"It was my first time!" I nearly yelled out. "And I'd like to remind you that I never pictured my first time being topped by another man."

"You say that like you didn't enjoy it."

"Unbelievable." I growled out before grabbing a few clothes and putting them away.

My parents had dropped us off at L's home about a half hour ago and he'd done nothing but revel in the thoughts of our school days here. He treated the memories like they were all filled with steamy and passionate sex, when in reality we did nothing more than spend time together. Albeit when the sex came into play it was almost daily afterwards, but before that we were just a regular couple. But try telling that to the detective and he'd tell you another story.

Once I was done unpacking I sat back on the bed and nearly drifted off. The boys were in their own room waiting for Wammy to finish dinner, so I didn't have to worry too much about them. Especially since Mello was tuckered out from the flight. Lord knows he's the one to start all the drama in this family. I prayed that he didn't start anything while meeting my family.

I covered my face with a pillow in fear. "Why did I come here?"

I felt the man beside me cuddle up to my side. "Because I'm very persuasive."

"What if Mello throws a tantrum?" I asked worriedly, throwing the pillow off of my face. "Or what if Near gets a bad headache and has to go to the hospital? What about Matt's ankle or his inability to hold a polite conversation?" I then looked at the detective. "And you! What if you manage to indirectly insult someone?! My family would never let it down if you did something to insult them! And let's not forget…!"

"Light, calm down." He interrupted. "I know you're worried but things will be okay."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked angrily. "I mean, Mello is always angry at something, Matt isn't all that polite when it comes to greeting others and holding a conversation, and Near never speaks in general. In fact, he's as bad as you when it comes to insulting people! I believe he called the woman at the doctor's office 'Squash-shaped' when she stood from her seat!"

The detective blinked. "How was that an insult? I happen to like squash fruit."

I immediately threw the pillow back onto my head and screamed. I knew this was a bad idea and still I listened to this shut-in about going to see my family. Honestly, what did I leave Japan for in the first place if I was just going to end up right back?!

Once I was done screaming I relaxed into the bed and tried not to cry. I wondered for a moment if it was too late to take the plane home when I felt a pair of lips on my temple.

"I'm sorry Light." Came L's small reply. "I know we aren't perfect, but we wanted you to be happy. We'll try our hardest to make sure we don't ruin things for you, I promise. It's the least we can do since you put up with us back in England."

I peeked out from the pillow. "You promise?"

He put a hand over his heart and another in the air. "I swear to you Light Yagami that I – as well as the boys – will be silent and polite the entire time we're around your family members."

I removed the pillow fully to lean up to give him a peck on the lips. "Thank you. Your word means a lot to me."

"Probably because I've always kept my word. I can't do much about the boys, but I can scare them into behaving if you want me to."

I pulled him into a hug, lying back down on the bed. "Don't hurt my boys."

"I wouldn't dream of hurting them!" He proclaimed as he backed up a bit.

A moment of silence went by before he admitted, "But I'd take their belongings hostage if they chose to fight me on the matter."

I couldn't help another eye roll. "And you wonder why they turn on you so easily."

"Who bribes them with materialistic confections?" He demanded.

I blinked, unfazed. "Uh… you."

Another moment of silence before he cuddled into my neck. "Okay, good point."

I then felt a sharp nip to my neck. "But who showers them in sweets?"

The man attacked my neck with kisses and nips as I tried to answer steadily. "S-still you, Ryuzaki."

A slight lick to my neck and I nearly lost my senses. How this man still made me shiver and shake with delight was beyond my reasoning. I would've thought I'd get tired of him by now but he always surprised me in one way or another.

A soft, thing hand caressed my lower abdomen. "Okay, once again true. But who's the one that always favours them over the other kids at Wammys?"

Sift fingers undid my pants and slid down the new opening, making my breath catch the moment they made contact with their destination.

My mind was hazy and needy, but I still fought with his statements. "More you than me, I would believe. Mello and Matt deserved that detention last week and you immediately got them out of it saying 'kids will be kids'."

He finally stopped attacking my neck to look into my eyes. "Then how is it they favour you more than I? You'd think I would be their god or something!"

I scoffed. "God? You? Someone has a high opinion of himself."

"Look who's talking." He countered before mashing his lips onto mine.

I fiddled with the button on his jeans, completely in the mood now and unable to break free of the feeling. Even when the man lost, he won anyway. That was fine though. I'd been stressed about this reunion thing for hours on end and wanted some kind of distraction from it.

L was not the best looking man on earth, this much was true, but there was something about him that just suited as my partner. Lord knows the females I was forced to be around were all incapable of standing on the same wavelength as me, and I didn't even think about any of the males at my school. But the moment I'd gotten to know Ryuzaki before he was even L to me… something clicked. I can't say for certain what it was, but I knew he was the best option for me.

And even after about three years of being together, he still amazed me in every way shape and form.

The jeans came off, as well as my khakis, then the boxers, then lastly the shirts. I barely paid any attention to this though since my mind was clouded over with want and desire.

I revelled in the kisses the most, though. They were soft and practiced in the beginning and then changed into passionate and fiery ones the more we continued. He changed up his routine more times than I could count, never stilling his hand, never trying to hurt me, and always keeping me satisfied and focussed all at once. I don't know where he learned to do this, but it didn't matter to me. Just as long as he kept it up.

I was suddenly taken back to our first time in this room, on this very bed, and it made my heart flutter. I was a nervous wreck when it came to my first time, but now I was writhing in pleasure at his touch. I could hardly believe the drastic change I'd had with him over the years.

The moment he was inside I was taken right back to very feeling I had when first doing this with him. My heart hammering in my chest, the feeling of happiness at having done something I knew my father didn't approve of, being myself for the first time in what had felt like forever! All this came flooding back into my mind and I relished in it for as long as I could.

"Is my Light enjoying himself?" Came the man's lust filled voice.

I suppose he saw me smile at my memory. "More than you know."

He leaned in overtop of me and kissed me passionately, slowly moving his hips to a new rhythm.

Once we parted for air he gave me a small grin. "I love you Light. You know that I hope."

I immediately folded my arms behind his neck to pull him into another kiss before answering.

"Of course I do. You know I love you as well, right?"

The rhythm picked up a bit before he hummed happily. "Of course."

And our night continued as such.

We ended up missing dinner that night – having to explain to the boys in the morning that we were 'tired and needed sleep' – but it was worth it to be rid of some stress before ultimately having to face my family members. But, if L kept his word, then I had to believe everything would be alright for this week.

…

Day one.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Late chapter, sorry for that, but I've been tired lately so I needed a bit of rest. :)**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

_"Momma? Daddy? Where are you!?" I screamed, begging for someone to answer. Of course… no one did. _

_I was all alone. _

_I sniffled slightly and wiped away a tear. I had to buck up now and find my way home to my grandmother's. I'm sure my parents didn't mean to forget me. Things just… took a turn for the worse. I'm sure if I just started walking I'd find them soon enough._

_But the night was dark and the air was chilled. I didn't know if I'd make it back in one piece. What if something happened to me? What if I…_

_No… I'd make it back. I knew I would._

_I sucked in a breath, holding it for as long as I could, then started my march. It wasn't long before the darkness enveloped me and I realized the painful truth._

_I was alone… all alone. _

_No one in my family had wanted me. They left me on purpose and that's why I was walking in the dark searching for something… anything to help me._

_No one wanted me… no one loved me… no one cared even the slightest for me…_

_…why did no one care about me? _

_…why am I alone?_

_…why…_

"Near!"

I opened my eyes to look up at bright blue eyes. I'd been lost in my thoughts again and Mello had gotten me out of my reverie. It had been a while since I'd been lost in my thoughts like that, but I suppose this was for a good reason.

He took my hand. "Come on, quit daydreaming. We've got to help Nan with the food for the guests."

I hopped off my seat and followed Mello right away away. Although he was still not as comfortable with me as others, he had learned to cope with me a bit. He treated me like a younger brother and made sure I was safe. Albeit he was impatient and nerved around me, he was still kind and just a bit caring. He was older than me so it wasn't difficult to see why he treated me like a kid.

Matt and Mello were taller, older, and – as they put it – had more experience than me. So because of these three main facts I was never in charge of anything, despite me being smarter than both of them put together. It may have sounded like I was full of myself, but I knew it was the truth. Matt was always distracted with something or another, and Mello was too full of pride to admit when he was wrong about something. Not to mention the two were always weird around each other, like one couldn't live without the other. I didn't have that issue because I was competent enough to see when having any type of relationship was a bad thing.

Especially when it came to parental figures.

Mello dragged me to the kitchen and soon let go of my hand. Nan, right away, got us to help her with leftover work.

Since Mello had more experience in the kitchen he helped with the baking and cooking, while Matt was tasked with cleaning up anything that was left over. My job was to help Nan at the store while the two finished up the work at home. Albeit Light kept a close watch on the two to make sure everything would go swimmingly.

Who could blame him since the last time we were all in a kitchen together we wound up having to clean up after a gigantic food fight. I doubt any of us wanted to relive that.

I was seven years old and not very tall, meaning that when I walked behind Nan I was taking three steps to her one. It must have looked comical for everyone to see the little ball of white trying to keep up with this grown woman. Nan didn't seem to care though. She was a very patient woman, after all.

Right as we'd gotten everything off of her list, she looked to me with a smile. "Near, is there anything you want? You deserve a treat for being so patient and cooperative with me today."

I looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "No, no thank you. I'm alright."

I felt a hand through my hair and I immediately looked up again. She was kneeling down to look me in the eye more easily.

"Is something wrong? Are you sick?"

I shook my head. "I'm alright, really. Just tired."

I was sort of lying about nothing being wrong, but I was also very tired. The medication for my headache was really taking a toll on me.

But it wasn't just my headaches that were troubling me.

Ever since we'd arrived in Japan I'd been afraid of losing Light to his family. The man was so nerved up about everything being perfect and making sure we were behaved that it was sending me into a dizzy spell. Light had always told us that he loved us, but I wondered how long that love would last in the face of people who thought we were 'wrong' and 'disgraceful'. From the way it sounded, it seemed like these people that Light was related to could be part of my own family. Lord knows _they_ didn't think I was good enough for their family.

Nan sighed before grinning a bit. "If you're sure…"

I nodded, forcing out a smile to make her feel less worried.

We finished up at the store and were back home before we knew it.

With some chores being done, and the day being early, Matt and Mello decided to go out and explore a bit, letting me tag along with them. It had been a while since we were last in Japan and Matt wanted to hit up a few shops to see if he could find anything of value to him. Games were pointless since they'd probably be in Japanese instead of English – and knowing Matt he was too lazy to fully learn a new language – but there might have been something else for him to take a look at.

Along the way, Mello got me to talk about what I'd been fearing lately.

"Look, Near," he began, "forget about what I said before, okay? Light won't leave us, it's not in his nature."

"You're just saying that to make me stop worrying." I stated. "But we both know it's going to happen. Light gave up his entire life to be with us… he'll go back when he realizes just how much he gave up."

"Come on, Near." He growled out. "Have a little more faith than that!"

I hadn't been looking at him because I knew he could read me, but now I was hiding my face because I knew I was going to start tearing up.

"Mello, it's not easy to have faith in something like this when you've been abandoned by your own parents. Who's to say Light won't do the same? You don't understand how this makes me feel because you yourself were never abandoned. You ran away from home, you ran away from your parents. You were given the option to leave and never look back. I was forced to be on my own… and it traumatized me."

It was a long bout of silence and contemplation on my part before I heard the blonde sigh at this.

"You're right, Near. I was given the option to run off. So was Matt, and so was Ryuzaki. And I know the deed traumatized you severely. But are you totally forgetting all the times that Light was there for us… for _you…_ when he was needed? Even knowing how bad we can be at the Wammy house, he still stuck around and loved us like his own. Yes, we risk losing him this week, but not if we allow others to know that he belongs to us, and us to him. Don't just sit back and watch him leave, snowball! Take action and make him remember where he belongs and who he belongs to."

Matt stopped our little party and looked at me. "I agree with Mel. We can't just let them take Light from us. We gotta make a plan here."

"But L will get mad if we don't behave like he demanded from us." I reminded. "So we can't really do anything."

"Well, we'll just have to behave then." Mello suggested.

Both Matt and I looked at him incredulously before folding our arms. We knew Mello wouldn't last two days playing by someone else's rules.

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh shut up, I can pretend can't I? And it's not like it's for the entire day and night. As soon as we're set free of all the fake smiles and laughter, I'll let it all out on a pillow or something."

Matt rolled his eyes. "I'd pay to see you behaved for more than an hour."

"What are you wagering?" Mello challenged.

Matt grinned cheekily. "Twenty bucks, a new portable game station, and I demand you sing me a lullaby before I go to sleep for the next month. If you throw a tantrum, make a scene, or embarrass anyone, I demand all this from you."

"Forty bucks." I offered. "I'll throw in a few coins to the mix. If you last two days, one of you guys gets an extra twenty."

"Sixty." Mello pooled in. "And when I win, Matt, I want a king sized chocolate bar, and you must carry me and tuck me into bed for the next month."

Mello held out his hands in a criss-cross to us. "Deal?"

We criss-crossed our own hands. "Deal."

And the bet was made.

This lightened my worries for now, but I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was going to go horribly wrong…

…and that scared me more than losing Light at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I am going to have a lot of fun writing in all the family Light has in his life, and the little shenanigans that the boys get into while the reunion is going on.**_

_**(Any suggestions for family members? Snarky ones, terrible ones, ones that make people infinitely mad? The floor is open!)**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

"Light, you're tapping your foot again." L reminded me.

I jolted at his words and realized he was right so I forced down the nervousness. "Sorry. I'm just a little panicky right now."

The detective only hummed at this. "The boys will behave."

I heard a knock at the door and my stomach froze over. I only prayed to god that it wasn't my grandmother. Her I was scared of most.

Thankfully, it was someone far better than the woman I'd thought it would be.

A tall, thin woman essentially ran into the kitchen to find me, squealed at the sight, then soon hugged me with an iron grip. This woman could care less about my preferences, just so long as I was alright. Perhaps not all of my family would be cold to me this week.

I hugged her back, feeling the air in my lungs getting squeezed out. "Good to see you Auntie Kass."

The brunette woman chuckled at me. "It's been too long, my dear!" She let me go to look me over a bit. "And how is the graduate? I haven't seen you since your days in private school."

I grinned slightly. "I've been alright. I've been living in England with my… err… family."

"Family?" She questioned before her eyes started to shine. "You have children!? What about a wife? What's their names!?"

I heard L snort a bit while drinking his tea and I had to elbow him to keep him in line. However, this didn't get past my aunt.

She smiled cheekily. "Or have you a husband now?"

I scoffed. "It's not likely I'll marry him in the future. He thinks marriage is for suckers and desperate people."

"Well Light," came the detective's words, "do I honestly need to prove that I'm faithful to you with a ring and a ceremony? Is it not enough that I've never even looked at another man or woman? A stupid, expensive ring is not a way of affection. It's a collar and nothing more."

I rolled my eyes at the man. "Auntie, meet my partner Prince Charming. As you can see he's every young man and woman's dream."

She giggled slightly before turning to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryuzaki. How long have you two been together?"

"About three years now." He answered politely. He then looked at me with a bold look in his eye. "But it's been like one long dream hasn't it, Light?"

"One long nightmare." I muttered before smiling. "But you make up for the hell you and the boys put me through most days."

"With lots of gifts and sex." He openly admitted, making my aunt nearly bust out laughing.

I could only thank god that neither the boys, nor my parents, were in the room to hear this.

Just as I'd turned away to sulk, the little devils themselves ran in to see who had been at the door. Kass took a shining to all three of them almost instantly.

"Light! Are these your boys!? They're adorable!" She practically squealed as she began to hug all three of them at once.

Not a one of them looked pleased.

"Err… hello?" Matt said quietly.

"Oh, sorry!" She apologized and let them all go. "I am Light's Auntie Kass. You can just call me Auntie… or Kassie! Either one works fine with me!"

Mello suddenly shifted closer to me to whisper, "Is she a few fries short of a kid's meal?"

I gave him a half-glare, grinning slightly. "No, she's just a bit bubbly. I suggest you deal with it since she'll be the easiest to get along with."

I then introduced the boys to her. "Kass, meet Near, Matt, and Mello. My spawns of Satan. Spawns, meet my Aunt Kass."

They all politely greeted her and it was one relative down.

…just a few hundred or so more to go…

…maybe I was overreacting about the hundred or so…

…maybe not.

We all sat together in the kitchen and I ended up fixing Mello's hair for him, which surprisingly calmed me down since I had something to do and I could make the blonde ball of rage look at least a bit more presentable before others showed up. In all truth though I was glad to be doing something other than waiting for my family. Working with my hands helped to keep my mind occupied and my thoughts clear. I think Mello knew this too, because more times than not he'd ask me on my stressful days if I could help him with his hair. And since he enjoyed the treatment, and I enjoyed the calmness of it all, it worked out rather nice.

As I worked on Mello's hair, Kass asked us a few questions about England and how I ended up with Ryuzaki and his brothers who we'd adopted as our children. To help with the language barrier I converted from English to my native tongue of Japanese. L did the same, as well as Near and Mello, but Matt got lost a few times so he didn't speak much. I guess I'd have to put him through language training again.

But the conversations continued on.

"It was your typical love story." Ryuzaki interjected when I'd been caught on a nasty knot in Mello's hair. It made me wonder how many times he'd actually brushed it in a week. "You know, our eyes met, we heard song birds and fireworks, then I tripped him in the hallway to embarrass him and he was all mine."

Near looked at me after this. "Is that what really happened?"

I scoffed yet again, finally getting the knot out. "Hardly. We hated in each other in the beginning. But that's because Ryuzaki was rude, unclean, unkempt, and completely full of himself. He won me over with his wit and charm later on, but I do not remember song bird and fireworks."

"Odd," the detective pondered. "Because I distinctly remember fireworks."

"They were at the fair we went to on our first date. I don't remember song birds at all, however. That part you had to have made up for storytelling."

"Perhaps, but it makes this love story sound better than it is. Especially when you stood up for us to your grandmother. Charming woman she was."

"And you'll keep that 'charming' attitude of yours at bay while she's here!" I warned him, pulling a bit too hard on Mello's hair, making him yelp slightly.

I immediately apologized and got back to work with getting his hair up and out of his face. Sometimes I appreciated Mello's patience with me and the way he allowed me to let off some frustration by helping him with his hair. I wouldn't tell him how feminine he looked when he asked for help with his locks, but I doubt he cared too much. I managed to make it look like he was still male-esque with his hair up, but the rest of his attitude had to do the rest for him.

Ryuzaki scoffed at my previous outburst. "I'm not afraid of her Light. Especially with how well you put her in her place last time she was around you."

Kass seemed impressed by this. "Did you honestly speak against her, Light?! I know how much of a pain my mother can be, but no one in our family speaks against her so willingly. Was everything alright?"

I tied up the blonde locks then turned to Kass. "I did, and I'm not ashamed by it. She has no right to make remarks about homosexuality when she doesn't understand it. I love Ryuzaki, and I'm happy to be with him. If she doesn't accept that, then that's her loss. Although, she thinks I've been studying abroad for the past few years so she doesn't know I'm still with him. I guess she'll find out later today about what's really been going on in my life."

"Well good for you by sticking by your man!" Kass said happily. "I'm happy for you, Light! And I'm sure you've been having a fine lie with your family, despite the ups and downs."

Matt happily nodded. "We love having Light with us! He's taken good care of us since he moved in! Better than any mom could ever be!"

Mello cuddled in next to me. "Agreed!"

I rolled my eyes. Coming from the blonde who hated me for about two months into my moving in."

The blonde blinked before cuddling in closer. "I didn't know you then." He muttered.

I pulled him into my lap to hug him close to me. "You're a terrible liar. You only started to like me after I snuck you a chocolate bar out of Roger's eyesight."

Another blink from him. "Well it was a good incentive, don't you think?"

I kissed his forehead lovingly, making him squirm away in disgust to L's side. The man never showed even the slightest bit of parental love to his boys aside from a few life lessons and letting them cuddle him when they want to. He wouldn't admit it, but he loved the cuddles more than he let on.

Near happily took Mello's place on my lap and I was happy to have him there. Even though my boys were terrors, they were the sweetest beings on the face of the earth some days. Especially with Near who was like a human plushie! Adorable and cuddly, with the voice of a little angel. He was always happy to cuddle me when he saw the opportunity.

I saw Kass smile at this. "Light, you are one lucky man, you know that? You've got three wonderful little boys, a loving partner, and it sounds like you've got a good life where you live. It might sound weird of me to say this, but I think leaving Japan was one of the best decisions of your life."

"I concur." Came my father's voice as he entered the kitchen. "It gave me three grandsons without the whole infant stage. Sayu was enough of a trouble to put me off the baby thought for a long time. As for your mother… she's just happy that there are kids in the picture."

"So we're kids now?" Mello spoke up. "Two minutes ago we were spawns of Satan."

"No, that's your aunt Sayu." L corrected. "She spawned in hell and showed up at my doorstep when I was much younger. You three just showed up out of nowhere."

"Yet we are still adorable in our own ways." Matt beamed.

"Adorable for a demon child, maybe." L muttered. "But I can't complain. You're better than what I'd imagined. Plus you're smarter than the average child so… it's a win win all around."

"So you love us because we're smart." Mello stated. "Fine then, I only loved you two because I got chocolate and a bed to sleep in anyway."

"Mello," I semi-warned.

He cowered slightly and grinned shyly. "Well… I guess I love Light all the same. But Ryuzaki can take a hike."

I held out an arm and the blonde ran in to hug me. "That's my boy."

"How dare you turn them against me?" L feigned hurt. "I've known them longer."

"I love them unconditionally." I countered. "Plus I feed them, keep them active, and make sure they eat healthier than you ever did. Honestly, I'm surprised Mello's teeth didn't rot out of his head from all that chocolate."

"I brush them!" The blonde exclaimed.

I cocked an eyebrow. "You do so now every day, but before I was part of the family you barely brushed them past once a month."

"Yeah, and your breath smelled like garbage!" Matt admitted. "I didn't say anything, but chocolate gives people the worst breath imaginable!"

The blonde merely pouted before cuddling up to my side. "It did not."

My eyes rolled at the child. He could be so whiny some days.

Another knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts and another few guests were let into the house. One of my uncles, another aunt, and a few cousins. I recognized them well.

These five were the second most vicious in my family in terms of rudeness and cold heartedness. They were big time movie producers and the kids were child stars. They worked together as a family group and made money like no one else. The only person who was richer than them was L himself. But, I couldn't let that slip to them because L was supposed to be a secret.

So, for the week to come, I was partners with a man from England. Which wasn't a bad thing… but in comparison to richness galore, I basically had nothing.

I felt Near cuddle into my chest and I looked down to see that he'd fallen asleep on my lap.

I smiled at the child in my arms. I didn't have nothing. I had three wonderful boys and a man who loved me dearly enough to step outside his comfort zone to make me happy. L, Near, Matt, and Mello were perfect for me.

But I prayed to every god known to man that they kept their promises to remain behaved.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Last chapter for the night! Goodnight and good morrow! (I may post a short chapter tomorrow, but I have a doctors appointment and I have to work right after so... we'll see.)**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I was going to lose it. I knew I was. Three hours talking about nothing more than movies and parties was getting on my last nerve! Not to mention their son, who was about my age or older, kept talking down to me like I was a moron! Like I'd come from the loins of someone who couldn't tie their own shoelaces!

…

Okay, to be fair, I sort of did come from that. But nobility didn't have time to tie their own shoes! I still learned how!

I calmly took a breath and thought about how I was doing this for Light. None of us wanted him to leave, so it was best that I keep my mouth shut and not say a word unless asked a question. Sometimes those questions were hard to answer though.

Light's aunt and uncle, Katarina and Haruo, and their three children, Jiro, Kaede, and Chiyo, had been by for at least four hours now, having given plenty of time for others to show up. There was still no sign of Light's grandmother, but I had a feeling she'd be by soon.

Until then, we had to endure this hell.

When they stopped talking about movies and actors, we came into question as well as Ryuzaki. Of course… Light couldn't answer the questions as flawlessly this time.

"So Light," Katarina began, "where did you meet your partner here?"

It seemed like the entire house was just as curious about this as they were. Of course, that meant all eyes were on Light so the question itself had more peer pressure than it first meant to be.

The brunette answered simply enough. "I met him in school. After graduation I decided to go with him to England…"

"And that's when you met _these_ three." Her husband interrupted, looking at us.

_'We have names, you know!'_ I screamed in my head.

I swallowed down my pride and pulled out a charming smile.

"That's right! My name's Mello, by the way, if you've forgotten."

Matt did the same and smiled back before introducing himself. "And I'm Matt. Sleeping beauty in Light's arms here is Near, but I doubt he'd be able to tell you for himself."

Lucky cunt.

Near had nodded off a while ago in Light's arms, the brunette still holding him all this time, and I'd give anything to be doing the same. Instead I was forced to endure this torture.

Light smiled happily at the sleeping snowflake in his arms. "Poor kid must have overworked himself. I've never seen him nap this long."

_'Probably faking it._' I growled in my head.

"Aww, well I'm happy to see you have such a… loving family." Katarina said not so smoothly.

I didn't like the way she'd said that.

Light stood from his seat and excused himself to put Near into a bed upstairs. If he was going to nap through this, it might as well be in comfort.

Then the questions were directed to Matt and myself.

"So, what happened to your parents?" Their youngest son Jiro asked.

The question made me mad, but what appalled me was that no one corrected the little asshole to not ask questions like that. It was rue, disrespectful, and completely out of line! I could even see L holding back his comments at such a horrid question.

I decided to be snarky without actually being snarky and put this kid in his place.

I shrugged, still smiling. "I don't know what you mean. Light and Ryuzaki are right in this house are they not?"

"I mean your real parents, dummy." He laughed at me.

_"Dummy? Jesus kid, you have no idea who you are messing with are you?'_

I took a breath. "Light and Ryuzaki are my real parents. More than my birth parents ever were. But you wouldn't know much about being an orphan or even the slightest bit of empathy towards such because your mommy and daddy were always there right?"

He took a pause at this, but his parents didn't seem to understand how insulting I was making this seem.

_'Kid, you should have kept your mouth shut.'_

I saw both Matt and L brace for impact with slight smiles on their faces.

"I mean, my birth parents were gone from my life long before I met Light, but Light and Ryuzaki were always there for every birthday, every good grade, and every time I needed someone to talk to! Your parents do that right? They sit down and talk to you? Mine do all the time! Plus we hang out and play games, Light reads to me and holds me close when I need to be! I mean, being a child star must mean you don't see your parents too much, and with them always producing movies I bet that time is cut in half, but I'm sure when you see them there's lots of love and care! Right!?"

Hook, line, and sinker. The brat was on the brink of tears when he nodded his head and avoided my eyes.

Of course it wasn't real, I could see it in his eyes that he and his siblings never saw their parents. Lifeless, soulless eyes with no purpose of love or caring. He was a forgotten child, him and his brother and sister. None of them had seen or spent time with their parents, not like how Light had cared for us. Light was a real parent.

The topic changed quickly and their daughter Chiyo asked us about where we were schooled.

Knowing that we couldn't say the Wammy house without raising a few brows, I came up with something quick.

Matt, Near and I learned in a school that halved as an orphanage. Ryuzaki was an intern there when he adopted us after meeting Light. After that we were schooled at home by the best teachers Light could get for us."

"We've already graduated from the high school homework." Matt added. "It was boring anyway, but now we get to learn advanced calculous and the reactions of dry ice to water. Plus we're learning how to turn copper into gold, but it's basically just a formula to change the pigment of the copper to a more yellow colour. Virtually worthless, but fun to do."

"We should really change that copper statue into gold when we get home too." I added onto the conversation. Now that things were more interesting to me, I wanted to keep talking.

"You will do no such thing." Light demanded as he came back from downstairs, sitting in his previous spot beside me. "However, that ugly bronze figurine can be destroyed to your liking."

"Light, I got that from a friend in Ghana." L countered.

All three of us cocked our eyebrows at him. We knew the truth of the matter.

He grumbled. "Fine, I took it from a dealer while on a case, but it's still valuable to me!"

"Then can we turn the swimming pool into a Jell-O pool!?" Matt asked excitedly.

"No!" I demanded. "We have to do the experiment with dry ice first, then we can…"

"But that's no fun!" Matt whined. "The ions in the dry ice and chlorine is just going to make it bubble and spew. We might as well just make a papier-mâché volcano with baking soda and vinegar!"

"Ha! Child's play! Don't ever mention that disaster of disasters to me again!" I demanded.

We continued to rant on and on about ions and reactions until finally we noticed how quiet it was around us. Looking up we could see all eyes were on us, most in shock and others in questioning. The younger cousins in the group started giggling, while the ones in our age group started whispering about us.

Well, I was going to behave…

…but I decided to do a little social experiment.

I cleared my throat. "So, show of hands, how many of you believe in ghosts?"

A few moments passed before about half the people put up their hands.

"Okay, so how many of you do not believe in ghosts?" I asked.

The other half raised their hands.

Perfect.

"Alright, so this means half of you are morons. Try to figure out which half."

And just like that the fighting began. It didn't get loud or violent, but it got eyes off of us.

I turned to Light with a bright smile on my face. "Well, that worked!"

The small grin on his face said it all. "You get one of those, Mello. Only because it was well timed and executed nicely."

"But, you broke the deal." Matt piped in. "Prepare to tuck me in and warm up that singing voice!"

"Uh, the deal was that I behave and act nicely. I didn't say _I_ thought they were morons, whoever the morons are. I simply did a small social test."

Matt crossed his arms and slunk into his seat. "Fine, but next time is the line you cross."

"What 'next time'? There wasn't even a 'this time'!"

Light pulled me into a hug. "Let there be a 'no time' though, okay? My grandmother still has yet to arrive and I know she won't go easy on you."

"Okay Light." I sighed out. "I'll behave for your benefit."

Another kiss to my head and I pushed him away. I was not a kissy type of person, and Light knew this more than anyone. Still he had the nerve to kiss my head just to watch me squirm! He was a real parent if ever there was one.

The fighting came to an abrupt stop when a knock came at the door. It wasn't long before a very tall, thin, elderly woman walked in with a long leather and fur coat. She looked as if she'd had a little work done in her lifetime, but aside from that she was just plain creepy anyway. I knew just by one look at her that this was Light's grandmother. And the very sight of her was chilling me to the bone.

For the first time in a long while… I was afraid.

I felt Matt cringe into me. "Dude, that lady is scary."

I nodded at his whispers, unable to speak myself.

The woman hung her coat nearby and strode over to a few relatives that greeted her warmly. She greeted them back, asking them how they were, smiling at her grandkids and other younger folk. But she didn't caught sight of us until meeting with the movie star family, giving them praise and love… and her happy-go-lucky face changed into one of despair and intensity the moment she caught sight of Ryuzaki.

Light slowly stood from his seat, almost guarding us by blocking her way to us. "Grandmother! It's so nice-"

"What is he doing here?" She interrupted, looking at Ryuzaki. "Light, your father said you gave up this… phase a long time ago!"

He took a breath. "It's not a phase, grandmother. And I didn't leave him. I haven't been studying abroad, I've been living happily with my family for the past few years. Ryuzaki and I have a great life together and I'm sure-"

"Family?" She interrupted once more, looking beyond Light to see us. "That frumpy little blonde girl, and the out-casted Muppet?"

"Frumpy?" I questioned to Matt.

"Out-casted Muppet." Matt said quietly, a little hurt in his voice. "That's a new one."

"Not to mention the disgusting freak sitting like a mutated frog!" She pointed out to Ryuzaki.

The man said nothing though. I could tell there was much he'd wanted to say with the way he tightened his jaw, however.

The elder woman shook her head. "Honestly, is there anything more you want to tell me?"

"Light?" Came the small, familiar, voice.

Near. He had the worst timing some days.

The little fluff ball ran to the brunette, burying his head into his chest when Light picked him up. I could tell he had a headache again.

When Light asked, he confirmed it, and asked me to take Near back upstairs to a darker room while he got his pills.

Right as I took the kid's hand the woman scoffed. "And you've got another freak to add to this little show you call a family! Light haven't we taught you better!?"

"Grandmother-"

"What a waste of skin you are to be treating these outcasts, these vermin and rejects of society like they have any notion of worth! Light, you graduated from a top of the line private school, you were a top model student, your grades were through the roof, and you had the respect of every authority figure in Japan, and you gave it all up for the likes of this!? How could you make such a fool of yourself!?"

She looked down at us. "Disgusting little rats, they are. Probably from broken homes. I bet they're coke children, diving in and out of rehab because they're mother's had no sense of control." She then looked up at Light, who was hanging his head in… shame. "And you had the nerve to bring them here."

I decided not to listen to anything more about this and dragged Near along with me back to his room. Matt followed close behind. I suppose he was hurting just as much as we were.

The darkened room that Near had slept in was Light's old bedroom. It kept out the voices from downstairs, but it was like we could all still hear her words echoing in the room off the walls and into our ears. I could get that she was disappointed in Light for not going through with earlier plans, but did she have to insult us in the process? What had we done to her!? We were just the kids in this mess, we had nothing to do with Light coming to England!

I tried to occupy my mind with something while trying not to think about her words. But how could I not? She'd called us a mistake! A disgrace! Rejects! How could she say all this right in front of us!?

I fiddled with my hair, not really caring how it looked anymore. Was I really frumpy? Uninteresting and ordinary? Like a blank, white, wall?

There came a small knock on the door before Light walked in carrying a tray. He plastered a smile on his face despite the fact he knew how we were feeling. I could tell he was hurting as well from what the woman had told him.

He set the tray down on his desk and sat between Matt and me. Near was on the bed hugging his knees.

He hesitated for a moment before looking up at the fluff ball. "I brought you your medication, Near. It should help with your headaches."

He replied with a small and quiet thank you before hiding his eyes behind his knees.

The man sighed heavily. "Guys, don't take what she said to heart. My grandmother… she's a very pious woman and me having a family like this isn't considered natural to her. She doesn't understand it the way I do. But rest assured that I don't give a rat's furry ass about what she thinks of you…"

"And that's why you stood up for us, right?" I said angrily, still thinking about the way he just hung his head in shame. Like we didn't matter to him enough to speak against what she was saying.

Light dragged me into a hug and held me close. "Mello, I can't change her mind about you guys. It's just a futile attempt to think that I can. I couldn't then, and I can't now. The most I can do is stand by you and keep you safe and close to my heart. Her words mean nothing to me if I have you all as a family."

After a bout of silence the three of us immediately jumped up and hugged the brunette as tightly as we could muster. As much as it pained me to see Light not even take a moment to stand up for us, I knew it would only hurt his relationship more with his family if he did that. But dammit if I could just do _something_ to that bitch! ANYTHING!

Light hummed happily. "Tell you what, we'll take the day off tomorrow from the reunion and go check out the sights together. I don't believe you've seen the schools I went to, and I think you'd be able to give those professors a run for their money."

"Are there labs there?!" Matt asked excitedly.

Light thought about this for a moment before saying, "Yes, but you aren't allowed to touch anything poisonous, gaseous, or create explosions."

Matt pouted. "Why not just take away fun altogether?"

I could tell Light rolled his eyes without even looking. He then stood up and grabbed the tray from off the desk.

"I decided to bring you guy's dinner since I probably thought you might not want to go back downstairs. After you eat we'll go home and forget about today like it never happened."

We agreed to this and began to dig in. Halfway into our food we asked where L was, to which Light replied with,

"Getting some fresh air."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You made him go outside to stop him from starting a fight, didn't you."

He chuckled slightly, patting the ground to signify that I sit in front of him. When I did, he began fixing my hair yet again.

"You know me too well, kid." He paused. "And by the way, you aren't frumpy. Just like Near is not a freak, and Matt is not a rejected Muppet."

"With my hair Light," Matt said happily, "I could be!"

He then started to mock-play air drums while whipping his hair wildly, making the sounds of the drums with his mouth. Once he was done, his goggles were across the room and his hair was all fuzzed up from the whipping.

He nodded to himself happily. "That's right bitches! All hail Matt! Master of the drums!"

"You couldn't even play the recorder," I reminded him, "oh great _master_."

He scoffed at me. "Uh… shut up, Mello!"

"You shut up!"

"No you!"

"You!"

"YOU!"

"Ladies," Near said sarcastically, "you're both beautiful, strong, and independent. Now let's finish up our dinner so we can get the hell out of here."

Light groaned slightly, leaning his chin on my head. "All of you watch your language!"

A unison 'sorry' was the last thing said before getting back to our dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Sorry for the sucky chapter but I've had little to no time to work on it this week. Will try again tomorrow for the next chapter. :)**_

_**Hope you enjoy and reviews are always welcomed!**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I took the boys around my old neighborhood to let off some steam and it worked wonders for the most of us. L just constantly whined and questioned when we'd be going home soon. As soon as I took him to the store for candy he shut up pretty quick.

Out of all of us I was most happy. I got to spend the day outdoors, with my family, and not have to worry about my grandmother all day. Of course, I'd have to face her tomorrow at my parent's house, but I decided not to worry too much about that at the moment. All I had to worry about right now were my boys and Ryuzaki.

…mostly Ryuzaki.

Near had me carry him around most of the time since he was small and unable to keep up most of the time, but Matt and Mello were especially happy to be able to run around for a bit at the park, though I had to break up a little scuffle between the two – caused by Mello, no surprise – but it was a good day all around. I got to see some familiar sights, revel in my past a bit, and watch my boys happily play without having someone get injured along the way.

Once we'd gotten home, Matt flopped onto the couch for a nap, Mello grabbed his book that he bought at a bookstore and ran upstairs to read it, and I placed Near in a large armchair where he could continue to nap in peace. I don't know when he'd fallen asleep, but it couldn't have been too long ago. The medication for his headache was helping him, but he was asleep a lot more often now so he couldn't enjoy it.

I hummed pleasantly. It was quiet, it was peaceful, and everyone was happy.

"I really don't know how you manage it, Light." L spoke up. "Not one hand of help from Wammy, not one beg for assistance, you just jump into parenting like it's no big deal. And with these spawns of hell I'm surprised you aren't running for the hills."

"Aw, L, they're adorable!" I complimented on the terrors. "You know, in their own special way. Matt is charming, Near is just plain cute, and Mello is a sweetheart under all that bravado. Why you choose to ignore it is beyond me."

"I don't ignore something that's not there, Light." He countered.

I rolled my eyes at this. "Well I think they're all adorable. And I'm not the only one."

"Strangers who don't know the _real_ side to them don't count, Light."

"What about my mother and father?" I asked.

"They don't count either. They're grandparents so they love them unconditionally."

I sighed heavily, sitting on the couch beside Matt who was fast into slumber. "You're just don't know them the way I do."

"I would if they'd love me more than you."

"Or if you spent time with them." I countered as I pet down Matt's red hair.

I didn't care what L said about the boys, they were angels in my eyes. Angels with horns instead of halos… but angels nonetheless.

Although L would like people to believe that the boys were monsters who didn't care for anyone or anything, they really had a sweet side to them that no one else could see.

For example, when I was once sick with the flu for the entirety of three days, the three little monsters happily took care of me until I was better. Matt helped Mello cook soup for me, Near kept me company, and all three of them kept the house in line for me while I was incapacitated. However, I don't believe they needed to go as far as locking up the bad kids and bullies until they called uncle. But I only told them to help out so… most of the blame was on me for that one for not being specific.

I loved how caring my boys could be when they wanted to be. And more times than not I knew they had my back.

I felt Matt cuddle into my leg as he awakened a bit to look up at me. "Light… is 'verything okay?"

I smiled reassuringly. "Of course, Matt. Go back to sleep."

He cuddled closer to me, putting his head on my lap. "Will you stay with me until I do?"

I kissed his forehead happily. "If you need me to, I will."

The one thing I loved about Matt most of all was that he wasn't as embarrassed as Mello about me showing affection. I think it had something to do with his past I suppose, but I didn't look into it all that much. He was happy, so I was happy.

I looked up at L. "And you were saying?"

He scoffed. "When they're tired, I enjoy their company thoroughly. But any other times I wish we could send them off on a plane and run the other direction."

"And if you did that, I'd happily throw you over a bridge, get my boys back, then have a lovely vacation in the Bahamas with them."

He flared his nostrils slightly, sitting in an armchair opposite to Near. "You are heartless, Light. But stern and sexy to boot."

My eyes rolled yet again. "Well, at least you admit the truth when it needs to be said."

"Did it really need to be said, Light?" He asked calmly.

I took a moment to think about it. "No, I guess not. We both know I'm handsome."

"And what am I to you?" L asked in a rather seductive voice, leaning forward a bit.

I looked down at Matt to make sure he was asleep before looking back up. "Something I shouldn't say in front of the boys."

"They're asleep." He reasoned.

I gestured to the stairs with my head. "But one of them isn't. Not only that but he'd hear everything and blackmail us with it for the rest of our lives."

"Not if we take a shower together and you don't moan."

"Excuse me? Are you implying that I'm loud when in bed?"

"Like a siren."

I narrowed my eyes at him before grinning mischievously. "Care to place a bet on that?"

"I thought you said Mello would hear us." He reminded me.

"We leave the kids with Wammy, go to a hotel, and we do our business there."

"How does this help in figuring out if you're loud in bed or not?"

"It doesn't. I'm just particularly in the mood today. Besides, I doubt for the life of me you'd say no to my request."

A few moments passed by before L grinned slyly at me.

"Well then, I'll call Wammy from his hotel and we'll be on our way."

"You guys are more immature than we are." Came a familiar, younger voice.

I looked back in fear to see a smirking blonde leaning on the banister of the stairs. He had a look in his eye that screamed 'busted' to me.

"How long were you standing there!?" I asked angrily, my cheeks going red.

His smirk widened. "Long enough to hear you two planning an escape for more 'quality time'."

That was the one thing that bugged me about these boys. They were already familiar with the topic of sex and relations, so there was no hiding it from them what we were actually doing when we wanted our on time together. Matt and Near never brought up the subject, but Mello always made snide remarks about it thanks to L's, not so subtle, attempts with me.

Before I could start yelling at Mello for invading on our privacy, he chuckled at me and my blushing cheeks.

"Listen, I won't say a word to Near or Matt about where you two go, but I have a few demands. One: that I be put in charge until you return. Two: that you come back with a chocolate bar for every hour you two are away for me. And three: that tomorrow when we meet with Light's family, I am kept away from those three movie bastard children at all costs! Do we have a deal?"

I looked back at L angrily, but a small grin on my face. "You taught him how to negotiate properly I see."

He shrugged. "He's one of my successors, that's for sure."

I looked back at the blonde. "Deal. But no cooking anything fancy while we're gone, the chocolate bars are to be eaten one a day, and you will be at least civil to the bastard movie children tomorrow. Okay?"

"I can handle that." He smiled out, turning to the stairs. "Best get going now before Near wakes up and sees you two leaving. I said I wouldn't tell him or Matt about you two having your own fun, but that doesn't mean I'll help you explain where you two are going if he catches you."

"Fair is fair then." L said happily as he stood from his seat, making for the door. "Shall we leave now then, Light?"

I carefully slid away from Matt to join the detective at the door. "Ready when you are."

"Cute." Mello commented on the side. "Our parental figures ditching us to have sex. Such loving people you are."

"Keep quiet about this and I'll share my private stash of ice cream with you." L offered.

It was only a moment before Mello turned away, opening his book. "Keep quiet about what?"

The man rushed me out the door. "For tonight, blondie, you're my favourite."

"I'd better be." Came the mumble from the blonde before we were out the door and heading for the car.

I growled at the man. "It's all your fault they know about love and sex. You couldn't keep them innocent until they were all fifteen, nope! They all had to learn right at this age to know what sex was!"

"It makes the job easier." He explained, getting into the driver's seat.

Once I followed into the passenger side I huffed at him. "Fine then, you're the one explaining how it all works when they come asking for questions."

"That's what sex education is for, Light."

I scoffed. "Like they'd pay attention in sex Ed."

The car was started and we were on our way, but not before Ryuzaki chuckled at me and my worriedness. "Do you have no faith in their ability to sit still and listen for thirty minutes?"

"Knowing they were taught by you?" I gave him a look over. "No, I don't."

"Harsh, Light. Very harsh."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I know it's been a while but I've had to do some things and get over a few other crappy situations before I got back into writing again.**_

_**Hope you enjoy and reviews are always welcomed!**_

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I felt really sorry for Light now. His family was not speaking to him, his grandmother had embarrassed him completely, and the only people that were standing by him at the moment were us and his immediate family. Sofu and Nan were still happy to have him around, and Sayu was ecstatic to have her brother around for a while, but everyone else aside from Kass was treating him and the rest of us like we were the plague. I even heard a few people talking about him and how he'd made a mistake in taking us in.

I didn't say anything about this, however. I knew Light wanted us to behave and treat them how we'd like to be treated, but it was getting difficult to ignore now. Especially since people referred to us as 'them' or 'they' like we had no titles.

It also didn't help that Light wasn't standing up for us while all this was going down. He just stood there, hands in pockets and eyes to the floor, like he was ashamed of his choice to be our guardian. Of course, he wouldn't feel this way if his grandmother hadn't said anything beforehand. But that woman just had to waltz in on our happy family and make everything a nightmare.

I sighed a bit, playing with my shoelace. We were outside sitting on the porch and waiting for something to happen. It was a nice day for a cookout, but only for those who were considered family members. The three of us were just nuisances.

Mello leaned his head on my shoulder. "Should we just escape and go home?"

I shook my head. "Nah, Light would worry."

Near scoffed at this. "Yeah right. We all know Light doesn't care about us right now. He'd probably be glad we left. He could have all the time in the world to spend with his real family."

"We _are_ his real family!" I reminded him angrily. "Maybe things look bad right now, but Light cares about us very much. Or are you forgetting all the crap he's gone through just to keep us safe and warm?"

Near cringed inward a bit. "I'm sorry… I just…"

"I know you're angry. I am too. But it doesn't matter for the moment. What matters is Light's happiness."

"Yeah… but he could at least acknowledge us more." Mello growled out. "All he's been doing for the past hour and a half is trying to fend off people asking him questions about us and Ryuzaki."

"Can you really blame him though?" Near asked quietly. "Light had been straight as an arrow before being with Ryuzaki, and now he comes home with us for a family? Of course people have questions. It shouldn't matter though. We're still a family no matter what they ask him, and there's nothing that can change that."

"You seem more upbeat about this now." I commented, looking past the blonde mesh of hair on my shoulder to see Near looking away from us.

He shrugged. "Light seems just as tired about having to deal with them as we do. I'm almost grateful for their incompetence. It makes us look better in comparison."

I nodded at this. "Yeah, I almost agree with that. At least this is only for a few more days and then we can-"

"Hey freak show!" Came a low, rude voice.

The three of us looked up to see one of Light's youngest cousins standing near us, arms crossed and eyes unimpressed, with two other boys standing behind him. We'd forgotten his name, but he hadn't forgotten us.

This one liked to pick on us the most. He called us all kinds of things when the adults weren't looking. Coke-heads, freak show, outcasts, damaged kids, and a whole lot of other things that made all three of us cringe. Back at the Wammy house we were never treated like this, but in the real world where people weren't used to others of our genius we were looked down upon. And all this made me wonder when intellect would stop making people like us feel inferior. It wasn't fair to be born with the ability to see things differently and live life with more intelligence than most, and have it thrown back in your face as being weird or abnormal.

I felt Mello growl under his breath but he said nothing. I knew he was just as pissed about this kid as we were.

The kid scoffed at us when we said nothing. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"What do you want?" Near asked angrily. It was a rare sight to see Near angry at anybody, but it was somewhat scary nevertheless.

The kid didn't take kindly to Near's tone and stormed up to him to grab his shirt. "You got something against me, freak!?"

Mello immediately took a stance. "Leave him alone!"

The dark-haired kid before us dropped Near immediately and went after Mello, grabbing his shirt instead.

"I don't take orders from little girls." He growled out.

Mello's nostrils flared. "Say that again. I dare you."

I instantly grabbed Near and backed away with him in my arms. If there was one thing Mello hated more than anything, it was being called a girl.

The blonde waited patiently as the kid sneered at him.

"I said, I don't take orders from little girls, fag."

The blonde said nothing as he slowly backed away from the boy, having his shirt being let go, then took a breath. I feared greatly for what would come out of his mouth…

…but was more than impressed to see his response.

The blonde opened his eyes to gaze at the boy, his stature falling into a flirtatious and inviting stance. "Then tell me, who do you take orders from? I mean, we both know I'm too small and fragile to be bossing you around, so who can? I'd like to know who has the ability to make such a… strong and reliable man like yourself quiver in fear."

Mello got dangerously close to the boy, who tried to back away only to meet another boy behind him. He looked scared to see another male coming on to him so heatedly like this.

Mello was playing the game well.

The blonde gently touched a finger to the boy's chest. "Isn't there anyone who can dominate you, big guy? Anyone at all?"

The boy blushed before trying to back up again, making himself and the boy behind him fall onto the deck in embarrassment.

Before he could run away, Mello had one last piece to his performance.

He kneeled down and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek. "I think I have my answer."

And with that, the kid and his friends ran off in the other direction screaming for their parents. They'd be back, there was no doubt, but what were they going to tell them? Mello kissed his cheek? I'd love to see how he got in trouble for that.

He made his way over to my side, rubbing his mouth of whatever germs he thought he caught from the kid. "Well, that's one problem solved."

I grumbled slightly. "You will sing me lullabies by the end of this reunion. I swear it on my grandmother's grave."

"Well, maybe I'll do that when you carry me into bed and tuck me in." He countered.

Near grumbled as well. "Either way I've lost my twenty. It's down to you two now."

"Then let us continue the game!" I said happily, then turned to Mello. "But before that…"

I leaned into him, cheek present and waiting. Like I'd allow him to get away with that one kiss.

The blonde did nothing but say, "You got graphite marks on your face."

He then took Near's hand and led him over to the food table to get him something to eat before he took his medication.

I furiously wiped my cheek clean before following. I sometimes hated my artistic abilities. Especially when I wound up with marks on my face and hands due to the supplies. But Light told me I was playing too many video games and needed another alternative to my boredom. So, art it was. Despite my lacking talent for it, I was actually pretty good…

…not the greatest…

…but good.

Once Mello got the food Near had asked for, the albino being too short to even see over the table, we took our seats on the patio once more with Mello in the middle, Near on his left, and me on his right. We would have joined in on the conversation had there not been a 'kids table' in place, but even then we preferred to stick to the outskirts of the party than bother anyone. We were loners at the Wammy house, and we were loners here.

It's just the way we worked.

I sighed slightly, wishing my Gameboy had been charged. "What should we do to pass the time before we get to go home?"

Mello shrugged. "Light has a computer in his room. We could play some games."

Near shook his head. "Light wants us to stay here and 'mingle'."

"He didn't exactly say 'mingle', though." I suggested. "He said, 'Stay in sight where I can keep an eye on you three'."

Mello seemed to read my mind. "He did say that, didn't he."

Near caught on only a moment later. "The rules are simple: No biting, clawing, scratching, eye-gouging, ribbing of clothes, skin, or limbs, no hair pulling – Matt – no 'cup checks' – Mello – and absolutely no swearing in the presence of elders. Since we're in Japan, I'll allow English back talk or threats."

"What about Russian?" I asked.

"I will allow Russian."

"Good!" I said happily as I stood up to face Mello. "You ready to start, Suka?"

The blonde merely scoffed, flinging out a hand signal from his chin. "Kiska."

I immediately took offence. "Excuse me!"

He giggled at my reaction. "That's right, I know Russian too! Or did you forget?"

And the fight began.

With Mello being somewhat shorter than me I had an advantage against him. But Mello had had martial arts lessons, plus the fact that he was faster than me and he knew how to use my own skills against me. Of course, our fight didn't go unnoticed by the others around us, but after L and Light both said that this was normal, they seemed to take bets on who would win or lose.

Mello had me pinned for a bit, but that changed almost immediately and the fight just continued.

Against the rules, Mello bit and scratched a bit, but it was only because I pulled his hair first. It was normal that we fight like this anyway since it let out some steam.

Back at the Wammy house it was a running gag on when the next fight would start or who would win. Hell, Light met us _while_ we were fighting, and even he agreed that it was better for us than keeping in all the pent up anger or stress. Some kids just needed to brawl for a bit, shake hands, then go to class. And we were those kids.

Light's aunt and uncles started cheering us on when things wouldn't calm down, and even Near was raking in some coin from the betting sides on who would win. Surprisingly, most of them were too sure I'd win.

They really didn't know Mello too well.

Right as Mello pinned me again, Light's grandmother immediately demanded in a screech for everyone to calm down and a silence filled the air.

The woman was scary when she was angered.

The blonde immediately let me go when the woman made towards us. "How dare you ensue a riot like this!? Honestly, where is the decency!? You are two young men, and you should act like it!"

"Grandmother," Light spoke up, "they were just having fun. They always fight like that in England."

"They aren't in England, Light! They are here, in your country, where they should act like mature adults! Stop with this attitude where you have to excuse their actions like that! They barely have any right to be here as it is, and they want to ruin their reputations more than they already have?! What a waste of time!"

"They're kids, Grandmother!" Light raised his voice to her angrily. "They fight, they have fun and get dirty, that doesn't mean they're a waste of time…!"

"Don't you dare talk back to your elder like that!" She demanded. "You're lucky enough that I'm still speaking to you after you lied to me about this horrendous company you keep with you! That grimy frog and his pathetic and unwanted coke children… how could you of all people choose that over what you had before?! The spotlight was all on you and you threw it away for this god-awful disgrace you call a family! How could you be so incompetent, so stupid and utterly…!"

"Shut up!" Came a small voice from behind us.

I looked back to see Near, tiny hands balled up into fists and his eyes watering slightly. Never had I seen him this angry, and never had he turned this shade of red before.

The woman growled a bit. "How dare…!"

"Oh shut up! I don't care what you say about me, but when you bring Light into this, that's when I draw the line in the sand!" He practically screamed.

Mello stood up to pull him away. "Uh, Near… I think you should really take your meds now…"

"NO! This woman has been nothing but a pain in the arse since we got here! It's bad enough people ask us all these ridiculous questions about where we came from and who our families were, without even realizing we're still dealing with having to fit in and forget who we are! Who CARES who our families were back then!? Light and Ryuzaki are our family now! They love us, they care about us, and they gave us a home!"

The little kid started crying even more, rubbing away a few loose tears, before looking at Light. "But none of that matters right now, does it? You won't even take two minutes to stand up for us and tell people we're your kids and nothing can change that! Well fine! I don't need you, NONE OF US DO! Just stay here and be happy! Happier than you ever were with us!"

When the kid started choking up and was unable to speak anymore he ran off and out the gate before any of the adults could catch him.

Mello looked back at the insensitive lady angrily. "See what you did!"

The blonde ran off to find Near right away, and I followed suit, not even caring that Light tried to stop us.

Near was smart, but he was a small kid in a big world. If we didn't find him… something else might have.

Light wasn't fast enough to catch us, and we later lost him after we turned a corner. We'd find Near in no time, but getting him back home would be a real challenge.

Hell… _I_ barely wanted to go back to them now.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Final chapter! It's a long one though so don't worry :)**_

_**Hope you enjoy and reviews are always welcomed!**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

We'd searched everywhere for the boys and found nothing. No little ball of white, no blonde, and no red head. They'd just… disappeared. It was getting worrisome now, especially now that night was falling.

Light was scared to all hell for his boys and had been pacing the living room of his parent's house since we'd lost the three. Soichiro had gone out to look for them, getting more than a few cops out there and looking as well while Light's mother Sachiko stayed home and helped him to calm down. Although, knowing Light, there was no calming down from losing his children.

Light was a good parent to the boys, so it came as no surprise to me when he developed the motherly instincts that came with parenting. He knew when his boys needed him, he knew when they'd caused trouble, and he knew when something was wrong. He'd expressed every few hours how he felt like his boys were suffering the moment we'd arrived in Japan. I suppose he'd been correct to assume this since Near didn't always speak out against his elders like that, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

Now was the time to worry.

When Light started hyperventilating I sat him down beside me and held him close, telling him everything would be alright.

I worried about the boys, but I knew they were alright.

Mello was headstrong and full of spunk, so I knew he wouldn't let anything happen to him or his brothers. Matt was stringy, but very quick when needed to be so I could only assume that he'd find a way out of any predicament. As for Near, even though he was smaller and much weaker than Matt and Mello, was smart and resourceful. I doubt any of them could get hurt when they stuck together, and I had all the faith in the world that they'd show up in no time.

The only thing that was making this tragedy worse… was Light's grandmother.

Once the whole family went into a panic for Light's sake, she immediately turned her nose away from the news saying something along the lines of 'finally, some normality'.

But no one cared to really listen to her. It didn't matter how she viewed them, because what was important was that we'd lost three kids in a foreign country. Smart though they may be, that didn't matter to some pedophile or murderer out there.

And they could only do so much.

I held Light close to me. "They'll be alright, Light. I promise they'll be fine."

He shook his head, close to the brink of tears. "You can't promise that. We don't know where they are, if they're alive, or even that they're together. All we know is that they're gone."

"And that they're incredibly smart in their own ways. They'll not let death claim them so soon, Light. They have their wily ways and you know it. They'll be fine."

Just as Light was calming down, I heard the huff of a certain woman from the stairway.

"You treat those mongrel children like they're your own, Light. Why can't you take this as a sign to stop with all these dramatics and fake family and just return to normality like the rest of us? Broken children are for broken homes, and you waste your time on them like they're human beings! Just let them go!"

I stood up to say something to her, losing my temper for the first time in… well… years probably.

However…

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

"Near, stop with this and let's go home! It's getting dark out!" Matt cried to me, still giving me my space.

"What home!?" I cried back, forcing down my tears. "The home with two men who barely care about us enough to stand up for us!? Why would I go back to that!?"

"Come on, Near!" Matt replied. "It's cold, and I'm tired! We should just go back!"

"Then go back!" I retorted, keeping my gaze forward as I kept walking. "I'm not going to crawl back to someone who doesn't even love me!"

Just then I felt someone grab my arm and spin me around. I half expected it to be Matt, but it was Mello instead. He hadn't exactly said anything while I've been trying to leave their sights, but he looked angry at me for some reason.

Then again, he usually looked angry at almost anything.

"Listen freak," he began, "I know it seems like Light doesn't care at the moment, but running away isn't going to solve your problem here!"

"And why not!" I screamed, still forcing down tears. "You ran off! So why shouldn't I?!"

He let me go then and made a huff of exasperation. "Near, we both know you're not mad at Light. He's in a difficult situation and- -"

"And nothing!" I interrupted. "Light has done nothing but let his stupid grandmother walk all over us and allow those kids and adults to think lesser of us because of where we came from! It's not fair, and we shouldn't be treated like this! We're the successors of the world's greatest detective, and we deserve more respect than this! We deserve a home! A loving family! A family who doesn't forget about us, and LEAVES US IN A GODDAMN GAS STATION LIKE AN UNWANTED, DISGUSTING RAG OF A SHITTY SHIRT!"

I finally fell to the ground in tears, silently begging for Mello to just go away and leave me to wallow in my own self-pity.

To my surprise though, I felt two sets of arms encase me lovingly and protectively. As if trying to hug away all the negative memories I had from my past and stop the tears. I liked to have thought that it worked, but it only made me cry more. I didn't know if they were sad tears because of my hellish memories, or they were happy tears because I had a loving family trying to help me out.

Either way, I was too scared to open my eyes. I thought for sure it was all in my head.

But there they were. Matt and Mello, hugging me to let me know that I was loved. But why had they cared? After all the times they picked on me, called me names, and generally ignored me… why did they suddenly care so much?

Matt then spoke up through a foggy throat. "Near, it's not like we don't know what you're going through. Maybe our pasts are different, but we each had to deal with our own abandonment. You lost your parents, my mother left me with an abusive dad, and Mello's parents ignored him after his incident. We were each abandoned and alone… but that didn't stop us from being loved."

"Light may not be showing it too much right now," Mello started, "but he loves us like we were his own flesh and blood. He kept us warm in his hugs, he made us laugh and learn, and he's always been there when we needed him most. The same goes for L. I'm sorry you're feeling this way… like you're going to be abandoned again… but Light would never let that happen. He needs us, and he loves us. I know you want to run off before he can do so to you… but how would you feel if you knew you broke his heart like that? How devastated he would be to lose you. You know it would kill him."

"It would kill L and us too." Matt added. "You're our brother, despite how much we pick on you. Hell, we pick on you _because_ we love you!"

I sniffled slightly, a smile sneaking up on me. What they said… it was all too true.

The two backed up and grinned at me before Mello asked if I was alright.

I nodded before crashing into a hug with him, thanking him and the gamer for helping me come to my senses.

We suddenly heard sirens blaring and a police car pulled up onto the sidewalk towards the alleyway where we were. Soon enough, out popped Sofu and he ran to hug us in relief, thanking god that we were safe and unharmed.

I apologized for my outburst once he let us go, but he barely cared about that and just expressed his joy at seeing us fine and healthy.

We hopped into the cruiser and we headed home soon after.

I worried the entire way there about facing Light and L, knowing that they'd be mad about me causing all this panic, but Matt and Mello assured me that everything would be alright.

"Well," Mello though aloud, "we might get grounded. But I don't suspect it being for more than a month."

"Nah," Matt waved off. "Two weeks, at best."

"So…" I said quietly. "Who wins the bet? Mello didn't exactly lose his temper, and I doubt Light will stay here for the entire week now."

The two looked at each other before they came to an agreement.

"You buy me a king sized chocolate bar…"

"And you sing me one lullaby."

The deal was set, and nothing was said further about the agreement.

We made it to the Yagami household, and I prepared for the scolding of a lifetime…

Until…

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I had HAD it with her!

"You know what, grandmother, I don't _care_ about your opinion on them, or about me and my choices for that matter. What I do care about is that my three boys are out there, doing god knows what, in streets they are unfamiliar with, and I'll be DAMNED if they turn up injured or dead! I don't care that I have a boyfriend, I don't care that I adopted three 'broken kids', because the truth is I couldn't be happier when I'm with them! They sure as hell are smarter than you in every which way and that, they have opinions and minds that supersede your terrible and conformist attitude, and furthermore are a hell of a lot more interesting than you will EVER be!

"I left Japan to start a life with someone I love and I ended up with a loving, caring family that would go through hell and high water to make me happy! You could never say you did the same because all you ever cared about was fitting me into a slot that I didn't fit in! I am not a statue made to be placed somewhere to marvel at and let the world decide my fate, I'm a human being with human emotions, and I desire the need for happiness no matter who it's with! I love Ryuzaki, I love my boys, and I love the life I've chosen to live! Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean you have to continuously try to rid them from me and my life! It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you've been married six times! No one was ever good enough for you aside from grandfather, and that old bastard died of a heart attack! No fucking surprise there since you probably caused it! What an unbelievable BITCH you are! How is it that anyone respects you or takes you seriously when all you do is rip on other people's decisions because they aren't yours!?"

I then turned to my aunt and uncle. "And you two! Allowing your bratty, unrefined kids to mock mine because they were adopted! Shame on you! SHAME ON YOU! You and your kids are nothing but spawns from the lowest of lifeforms! My kids aren't perfect, but they are a hell of a lot better behaved than your sorry excuses! Nothing more than bastard children from bastard lineage!"

Lastly, I turned to my younger cousins. "And don't think I haven't seen you three pushing around my Near. I know full well you tried to beat him up today, and if Mello hadn't stepped in when he did, you can bet your shitty little face that I would have instead. And I damn well guarantee you you'd make it out with more than a kiss you disgusting pile of horse shits!"

I finally took a breath and looked at the old woman in front of me. She was in too much shock to counter any arguments with me.

I felt my nostrils flare. "I came here because I wanted to spend time with my family. I wanted you and everyone else to see how happy I was to have a family as wonderful and delightful as I'd had with my parents and sister. Instead, I asked them to behave as one of us, uncaring and aloof. Detached from their minds and their way of thinking. And that only caused them to run off. That isn't a family, that's an act. Matt isn't quiet and calm, he's loud and tells stupid jokes to make the tension less awkward! Mello's a raging ball of blonde kick ass who would hug away any tears if you were hurting. And Near? Near is the kindest, sweetest, and cutest little boy to have ever lived, and I'm damn proud to be his mother! So I don't give a shit what you think about them! I don't care that you believe they're broken and worthless! They're priceless to me, and I'd go to the ends of the earth to have them beside me again!"

I suddenly felt three pairs of arms crash into me and I was immediately pulled out of my rant to look down and see my boys safe and sound once more.

The anger fled and I was soon on my knees hugging them close to me, tears in my eyes at seeing them safe and within arm's reach. I don't know how much of my rant they had caught but it didn't matter to me. I had them back, in my arms, and unharmed.

I kissed each of their heads happily and hugged them closely yet again. "I'm so glad to see you all safe!"

They each hugged me a bit tighter before Matt giggled. "And we're glad to see you stand up for us finally!"

Near nuzzled into me. "I'm so sorry for running off, Light. I didn't mean to scare you."

I kissed his head again. "It doesn't matter now. You're here and you're safe. That's all that matters right now." I then glared at my former family members. "And that we're heading home in the morning."

All three of them relaxed at this while my parents each looked at me with a bit of sorrow. I could see in their eyes that they were happy to see me relieved and with my family again, but at the same time I could see that they hadn't wanted any of what had happened to play out like this.

My father gave a sigh before opening the door once again. "Then allow me to drive you all home. I can see this stress has taken a toll on the lot of you and I'd feel safer if I saw you all home personally."

I agreed to this and allowed my father to bring us home, not caring of the glares and stares I got from the people I once considered family.

My grandmother, before we had fully left the house, gave one last warning.

"Light, if you walk out that door right now, then you are never allowed back into this family."

My eyes narrowed. "Good."

The door was slammed in her face and we walked to the car happily. Me carrying Near, and L holding Mello and Matt's hands.

I heard the detective chuckle. "That was some show you put on there."

"Indeed." My father commented. "But don't take what my mother said to heart. You five are always welcome into my home. _She_ on the other hand, is not."

I heard Near hum slightly before asking, "Am I in trouble for running off?"

I kissed the boy's head yet again before hugging him close to me. "No Near, of course not. If anything you had every right to feel how you did. But I promise that I never meant to hurt you guys in any way. I should have had more backbone than I did… and I'm sorry for that."

"No apologies necessary Light!" Matt said happily. "Not with the rant you gave!"

As my father opened the car door for the boys I heard him chuckle. "And in fact, Light, I am quite proud of you for standing your ground like that. A man's family is his pride no matter who thinks differently. And, if you would let us, your mother and I would like to spend at least one last day with you and Ryuzaki as a family before you leave. I have a feeling your Aunt Kass would probably love to join us as well."

Once I had Near in the car I hugged my father happily, agreeing to his request. Truth was, I didn't want to leave without actually having a good time myself. I'd missed my parents and little sister, and I knew they missed me. What kind of son would I be if I didn't visit them more times than I did now?

The ride home was quiet since the boys had been falling asleep. Near had a soft smile on his face while he slept, and it made me happy to see that he would be alright.

L got Matt and Mello into bed while I got Near, and with that our day was done.

Tomorrow would be my last day in Japan… but at least it would be happier than the days before. I'd be with my family, three lunatic boys and frog prince – detective – and all. And that thought made me happy.

Yes, L was weird, and his boys were crazy. But they were perfect in my eyes. And no amount of hate from my supposed family members could change that in my mind.

I fell asleep with L right beside me, not even having to be pressured into sleeping that night. He just lay down beside me and allowed me to sleep in his arms. I believed, in truth, that L had been just as worried for Near, Matt, and Mello just as much as I had. He's just someone who wouldn't admit his worry until he was for sure it was time for him to worry.

That didn't matter though. We were home, we were safe, and we had our boys back.

That's all I cared about now.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I curled up into a fetal position, taking in the warmth of my bed. It was nice to wind down after all that had happened today. I didn't believe I'd have any nightmares tonight, but if I did… I was too sure they wouldn't last long.

Yes, what Matt had said was more than true. We'd all been abandoned by our parents in some way or another. But in that abandonment we'd found a home. L and Light had taken us in, given us a home and people to love and cherish. We wouldn't be abandoned again. Not by them.

I got to thinking of my parents again that night. Of my mother and father… of my brother… of everyone. I briefly wondered if they were still looking for me, but I set the thought aside. Lord knows they'd given up by now. It might have broken my mother's heart to see me go missing, but not enough to make her rant in the same way Light had.

"Mello?" Matt's voice called past my memories.

"Yeah?" I answered hazily.

A short pause. "Will you sing that lullaby now? I promise to get you your chocolate bar in the morning."

I silently sighed to myself and was about to decline when another, smaller, voice said, "Please, Mello?"

Two against one? That was just unfair.

I rolled over in my bed to face them, taking a breath and thinking of the lullaby that would be quick so I could get some sleep.

I thought of one, but was unsure if it was considered a lullaby or just a really good song.

Either way, it was quick.

I took a short breath and quietly sang.

"Come stop your crying, It will be alright.

Just take my hand, Hold it tight.

"I will protect you From all around you.

"I will be here, Don't you cry."

I continued on with the song, hearing Matt hum along slightly before growing ever so quieter. I didn't know whether or not I should be flattered that he liked my voice or not, but I was only ever singing him one song in this life, so he'd better appreciate it while he could.

"'Cause you'll be in my heart.

"Yes, you'll be in my heart.

"From this day on,

"Now and forever more.

"You'll be in my heart,

"No matter what they say,

"You'll be here in my heart, always."

I heard Near hum a smile out. "Always." Came a small whisper before he fell asleep.

Matt chuckled slightly. "How much would I have to pay you in chocolate bars every night to make you sing us to sleep?"

My eyes rolled as I turned away from him. "You can't afford me, Matt."

Another chuckle. "I'll find your price."

He could try.

For the rest of that night there was nothing but peace. No fear, no worries, and no harm. Just a night of happiness and warmth.

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

Mello really did have an incredible voice, and I knew I'd have to pay him over ten king sized chocolate bars to make him sing again, but it would be worth it.

Tomorrow I'd pay him his one, and things would be settled between us. After that, everything would be normal again. Light would be happy, L would be himself – snarky and childish – and we'd go back to picking on one another for sport. For tonight though, everyone was just happy and at peace. Even Mello was… well… mellow.

I cringed at the thought of saying that in front of the blonde. Lord knows the kid was never mellow despite his – rather ironic – name. I'd make a joke of it in the future, but for the moment I wanted him to sing to me again, and I'd get no brownie points if I mocked his name at the moment.

Maybe picking on Near would set me up a peg or two.

Nah, I'd wait until we were back in England to do that. Near was having a tough time as it was without me getting involved.

The day's events made me think back to my parents… to my mother. The fact that she left us had hurt me immensely.

But the fact that she'd left me with someone like my father just killed me from the inside out.

When L had picked me up… I was a wreck. I was high off of everything, I craved more drugs than my body could take, and I didn't know clean from a hobo's arse. But even with all that, L still took me in… gave me a home. And Light… Light was the mother I'd always wanted. For him to stand up for us, to say he loved us and take a stand for us and who we were… I was touched.

No, I didn't have a mother… but I had something better…

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

I had Light.

To hell with my mother and father! To hell with my little brother who they'd wanted more than me! Light was a real parent. He loved and cared for me like no one else. He kept me warm and safe, and he loved my genius and all it had to offer. Light was a real parent… a real mother.

Despite him being male, he was my mother. He was raising me, teaching me wrong from right, and loving me like I was his own flesh and blood. He gave up so much just to be with us, and I was sorry that I ever doubted him to begin with.

I'd make it up to him one day. I'd show him how sorry I was to have doubted him.

But for now… I just wanted to sleep.

Mello's song helped a bit with that, but I mostly fell asleep thanks to the day's events. Although, I wouldn't mind it if he sang to us every night.

I overheard Matt talk to the blonde about paying Mello with chocolate bars to sing to us every night and I figured I get in on the action tomorrow morning.

Something told me Matt already had a price set in his mind.

Perhaps I could double that if I offered.


End file.
